‘Beating Ourselves’: Quinnen Williams Puts Dallas Cowboys’ Defensive Slide On Execution

FRISCO, Texas — Defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said Wednesday that the Dallas Cowboys defense is the reason Dallas has been losing games, and that execution is the only thing standing between that defense and the one it showed for three quarters Sunday.

Williams used some form of the word “execute” more than two dozen times in his session with reporters after the team’s first practice of the week. Dallas held the Arizona Cardinals to 3 points in the first half before allowing 30 after halftime in a 33-30 overtime loss.

Those first three quarters, for Williams, showed both the problem and the possibility.

“It tells you that we’re beating ourselves as a defense. We’re the problem. We’re the reason why we’re losing these games. If we execute, we could be the reason why we win,” Williams said. “And the first three quarters is an example of the execution that we can do and the possibility that we can, the defense that we can be. If we execute, we just got to continue to do it and do it for our fourth quarter.”

Specifics on how the defense is beating itself stayed in the locker room.

“I’m going to keep that to myself,” Williams said.

Quinnen Williams Says Wide-Open Receivers And Offsides Come From Missed Execution

The fixes are clear to the defense, Williams said, even with Dallas at 3-5.

“I think it’s easy to do when it comes down to the things that we’ve got to fix and knowing that we have to fix it, especially on defense, and that our only problem is execute. When we do it right, it looks good. It looks right. It looks physical. It looks like the defense that we can do,” Williams explained. “When we do it wrong, when we don’t execute, you see guys wide open. You see crazy offsides by me and different things like that.”

Those offsides penalties do not come from thinking too much, in his view.

“Just not executing. Just not executing. That’s a part of execution. That’s part of our problem, and we’ve got to execute,” Williams said.

Williams had 7 tackles and 2 sacks against Arizona, including a sack of Gardner Minshew II on Arizona’s first play of overtime. He has four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 14 tackles over the last three games.

Williams Wants Days Stacked Into Sunday Habits

A veteran locker room that has been through hard stretches is part of what Williams leans on. He said the defense has players young and old who know how it is supposed to look.

“100%. We’ve got a great group of guys. We’ve got a great group of guys in the locker room. We’ve got a great group of leaders. We had a great group of guys on defense, young guys and old guys, who know how to win, who know how to execute, and know how it’s supposed to look when we execute,” Williams said. “So it’s one of those situations where we can’t just talk about it, we gotta go out there and do it, and the action’s gotta be louder than words.”

Monday through Saturday is where the habits get built, period by period and meeting by meeting.

“Well, 100%. We’ve got to dominate each and every day, focus on each and every day, focus on each and every period, each and every meeting, execute each and every period, each and every meeting,” Williams said. “And keep stacking those days and those become great habits and those habits will transition over to Sunday.”

His review of Wednesday’s work was not ready yet.

“I watched the film after this and then I can let you know. I’ll get to you tomorrow,” Williams said.

Dallas acquired Williams from the New York Jets in November 2025, and he signed a $105.9 million extension in August. The Cowboys visit the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at noon CT on FOX.